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It’s now officially been over a year since I last updated my photoblog. It kind of blows my mind considering photoblogs should take a lot less work than a wordy blog like this does to maintain. The process should be quite simple:

Take a picture

Process the photo

Write a few sentences about the photo

Post the photo

Yet here I am, without a post in 12 months. What a mess. Luckily I’ve promised myself that I would put an end to not blogging and doing the things that really make me happy. Also lucky for me? I get so many wonderful opportunities to take photos and make art out of them. Or at least what I consider my art.

This weekend my mom flew into San Diego to celebrate my birthday a bit early. I turn 30 next Saturday… Wish me luck on that one. More on all that later, I promise!

This post isn’t supposed to encapsulate all the fun and adventures we went on but I did want to use it as a way to hold myself accountable of making at least five updates to my photoblog in the upcoming week. Oh, quick note, all of the following images were taken with my Pentax MX-1. The most hipster of seriously-cool range-finder-ish digital cameras.

After tons of research, contemplation, internal fights over whether I was crazy or not and lots of consultation with my “production engineer” Cody I finally made my podcasting studio decisions. Even more, I acted on them.

That’s the studio as it is today, Tardis and all. In fact, when I posted an earlier version of this image on Facebook, almost the only thing people could focus on was my giant Tardis in the background. No joke I had half a dozen people ask me if I had an actual Tardis in my apartment. Of course the answer was yes. Yes, I have a real Tardis in my apartment.

To be honest, I’m just happy that I have so many awesomely nerdy friends who knew what a Tardis is. Whovians unite!

I wrote in a previous post about the items I was purchasing to build out my studio. What you see above is a little different due to some hiccups in the process and some lessons learned. Continue reading →

After weeks of deliberating on whether or not I should start a podcast, followed by weeks of debating on the equipment I should purchase, I finally make the leap and clicked the “Buy Now” button on Amazon.

I made some major changes from my original plan for this studio. The most obvious one is that instead of having a four-person setup from the beginning I’ll be doing a three person show. If I get to the point that I find myself having four people on regularly, I can easily add another mic, stand and headphone for around $150. Not a big deal. I might even get a better setup for that fourth seat and use it for myself.

In keeping with the podcasting guides I’ll share my reasoning for each of the major items. Continue reading →

Welcome to the fourth and final installment of my podcast equipment buying guide. This guide breaks down the buying decisions for someone who wants to go from zero to podcasting superhero. Everything in this setup is pro-level and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone with a better setup that wasn’t just trying to show off.

This package was put together based on what the leaders of the podcasting world use. From the mixers to the mics to the headphones, everything here has been tested and proven to be top quality.

When building a studio you can of course spend as much money as you want. I could have designed a $100,000 audio-only podcasting setup but that isn’t the point here. This is a professional setup at a price that is approachable by really anyone that is serious about podcasting. Yeah it’s a few thousand dollars but these days with Kickstarter and other crowd-funding options, getting the funds would be cake for someone with the drive. Continue reading →

Welcome to part three of my podcast equipment buying guide. This guide breaks down the buying decisions for someone who wants to go from zero to podcasting hero. Everything in this setup meets or exceeds many of the best podcasts out there. Any corners cut were thoughtfully done so in order to splurge a bit in other places.

Earlier I wrote up a “Budget” podcasting studio equipment guide. For most people this is all they will ever need. But for those of us who want to have a system on day one that will be our work horse five years later, this is the one to go for.

Out of the box you’ll be ready to podcast with hi-fidelity audio across four microphones and even bring in audio from extra sources like a Skype call. And because this system ups the ante on just about everything, it also works out into a fantastic musical setup should you want to record singing or instrumentals. Rent out your podcasting studio to local artists wanting to get their demo out!

How I wasted $1,500…

When all is said and done, this is probably the setup I will go with for my podcasts. It fulfills all my out-of-the-box needs and then some without breaking my personal budget of $1,500.

If anyone is wondering why I chose $1,500 here’s the deal. I bought Google Glass last year for $1,500 + tax and it was basically a total waste of money. Right now my friend Jorge is using them to take candid photos of his pugs. I kid you not. So I figured I would give myself a chance to redeem myself.

Welcome to part two of my podcast equipment buying guide. This guide covers all the basics for a great sounding, mid-budget podcasting setup. I’m calling it the “Budget” podcasting studio but I promise it’s better than most podcasting setups out there. It’s probably better than a lot of the setups your favorite podcasts have. Seriously, you’d be amazed…

Earlier I wrote up a “Bare Bones” podcasting studio equipment guide. It skimped out on the mixer, had no dedicated digital audio recorder, used cheaper microphones and headphones. This system is a dramatic step up in quality and will allow your podcast to grow without making more immediate investments.

Out of the box you’ll be ready to podcast with hi-fidelity audio across four microphones and even bring in audio from extra sources like a Skype call or even one of those “morning zoo” sound machines.

Welcome to part one of my podcast equipment buying guide. This guide covers all the basics for a great sounding, low-budget podcasting setup. I’m calling it the “Bare Bones” podcasting studio but I promise it’s a solid start.

A truly bare bones setup would probably just be you, your iPhone and a voice recording app, but let’s not stoop that low. No, this setup will get you going with everything you need to do a show with a guest or co-host and sound great while doing it. Continue reading →